A Misunderstanding
by SafetyWord-Apples
Summary: Sometimes what seems like a terrible misunderstanding can end up being be the best to have ever happened! What happens when Josh walks in on Castle and Beckett in her bedroom?...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! This is my first ever fan fiction, am a bit nervous! I have a storyline all planed out and will be posting new chapters as they are completed. Lots of Casketty angst with romance ensuing! I have rated M mostly for future chapters but also for language throughout. I don't own Castle or any of the characters, I'm simply borrowing them to have some fun with!**

**I hope you enjoy, please give feedback!**

**Chapter 1- Misunderstanding**

Kate smiled up at the ceiling, _Saturday! _The sun was streaming through her bedroom window, lighting the room with a warm glow that promised a beautiful day ahead. This was her first full weekend off in...well she couldn't remember how long and she had been looking forward to it. The captain had given her and her team the two days off in honour of Detective Ryan's Bucks night and his fiancée Jenny's Hens night. To top things off the previous day they had managed to close a particularly gruelling case, meaning they could all enjoy their weekend off without anything worse than paperwork waiting for them. And that was why at 8.30am Kate Beckett was still in bed, not thinking about bodies or cases or anything at all work related, just enjoying the morning and looking forward to the evening that was coming. On her bedside table her phone buzzed to life.

"Hey Josh," she smiled into the mouth piece.

"Hey babe," she cringed, it seemed she was going to have to address the pet name thing again. "So I have a few hours before my next surgery, thought we could catch up, maybe have lunch. What are you doing right now?"

"Still in bed," she replied guiltily, knowing Josh never got to sleep in, or sleep much at all for that matter. "Buuuttt...I suppose you join me," she smiled again, already knowing the response she was going to get.

"Don't move a muscle," she could practically see the grin on his face.

Kate did of course move a muscle, probably all of them in fact. She rushed to the bathroom, predicting it was approximately a twenty minute journey from Josh's hospital to her apartment. She pulled her hair into a messy bun to keep it dry as she hurried under the shower. Kate closed her eyes and relaxed as the warm water washed away all traces of sleep. She lathered the washer in her favourite cherry shower lotion and ran it over her arms, up her neck, across her chest, stomach and down her legs. As she rinsed she watched the foam pool around her lacquered toes and swirl down the drain. Regretfully she turned off the heavenly stream of water and stepping out of the shower, reached for a white, fluffy towel.

She dried herself off in front on the mirror, watching the steam rise as her warm body was met by the cool air the bathroom. Kate brushed her teeth and put on the tiniest amount of makeup, nothing too obvious. After a squirt or two of deodorant and a couple of sprits of perfume she pulled the tie from her hair and let her long brown locks fall messily around her shoulders. She ran her fingers roughly through the tangle, not that anyone else would see it as such, and gave up on it. She slipped into a fresh set of pyjamas. Light blue shorts with small green stripes running up her thighs and a green tank top which scooped low at the front and clung tightly in all the right places, all two of them anyway.

Before hopping back into bed she unlocked her apartment door and grabbed a book. Propping herself up on her pillows and opening the novel to a random page she attempted a 'what? I always look and smell this good when I wake up', not that he hadn't seen her first thing in the morning before, but still. Things had been weird between them for a while, a long while in fact, and when they did finally get a few minutes together she tried to make a bit of effort.

She heard a loud knock at her door, "it's open," she called out, putting her nose in her book and pretending to read casually. She heard the door open, "I'm in here."

"Detective, I know you sleep with a gun and all but really, I could have been anyone!"

Kate froze...Josh did _not _call her 'Detective' and that was _not_ Josh's voice.

"Castle? What are you doing here?" she hissed as he appeared in her bedroom doorway.

"You invited me in," he replied grinning at her propped up in bed, she noticed him eyeing the low neckline of her top. "Do you always look and smell that good when you wake up?"

"You have to go...now Castle, right now!" _oh God, if Josh walks in to Castle here he is gonna freak._

"I only just got here," he whined.

"Seriously Castle. You can't be here."

"I just wanna talk to you about tonight."

"Castle, Josh is..."

"Kate?" _Fuck! _At first Josh sounded confused, probably wondering why there was a man standing in his girlfriends' bedroom, until he saw who the man was, and then he just sounded pissed. "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

Castle had spun to face Josh as soon as he heard him call her name. Neither of them had heard him enter her apartment _probably coz he didn't knock...another thing to mention! _

"Hey Josh," Castle responded cheerfully, not sounding at all guilty and not answering his question.

"I said what the _fuck _are you doing here?"

"Josh!" Kate warned, starting to move out from her bedcovers, though feeling very conscious of the fact she was in her pyjamas.

"What the hell is this Kate?"

"Sorry man, just a little misunderstanding, I knocked, she obviously thought I was you..." Josh cut him off.

"Misunderstanding my ass. Are you fucking him Kate?"

"Oh my God, Josh!" Kate yelled at the same time as Castle said, "Woohh Josh, calm down!"

Before Kate realised what was happening Josh slammed Castle against the wall, balling his fists around handfuls of Castle's shirt. "Don't tell me to calm down," he yelled into Castle's face.

Kate had seen Castle take crooks down a number of times, mostly when they had threatened her life or put her in danger, so she knew he could drop Josh. But he barely reacted at all, just watched him carefully as Josh grew angrier and angrier.

Kate, crossing the room to the two men pulled at Josh's arm, "Let him go Josh." He refused to let up on his grip on Castle. Instead he shouldered her away from them, sending her stumbling into the opposite wall. Castle did react then. He very swiftly took hold of Josh's collar, shifted his leg to behind the other man and easily deposited him on the ground at his feet where he sat, breathing heavily and glaring daggers at them both. Josh was fuming, but so was Kate.

"Josh, you have no right to come in here...in to _my _apartment, and abuse my partner, who was doing nothing wrong," she shouted at him.

"You have no right to be slutting around with other guys while you're in a relationship with me!" He retorted.

Kate blinked, Josh was suddenly lying sprawled on the floor with blood pouring from his face, Castle was grimacing and massaging his right hand with his left. Josh looked as confused as Kate, but realisation was dawning on him quickly and he struggled to get up.

"Stay there Josh," Castle ordered. Josh of course ignored him and pushing against the wall her raised himself on uneasy legs.

"Castle I think you should go," Kate suggested weakly, her mind attempting to piece together exactly when Castle had punched her boyfriend..._ex-boyfriend_, and wondering how her morning had gone so horribly wrong.

"There is no way I'm leavening you with this psycho!"

"I'm her boyfriend," Josh spat.

"No you're not," Kate said simply.

"Kate? What the hell? I haven't done anything wrong. If anything _I_ should be dumping _you_. You're the one cheating."

"Josh if you think...I'm not going to tell you again..." She took a deep breath, "you know what? Fine dump me, I don't care who does the dumping, so long as when you leave this apartment you understand we are over and you never come back." Kate noticed Castle was watching Josh carefully.

"It's okay Castle. Josh is leaving now."

"Ahh...No I'm not, we have to talk. We can get through this." He said and Kate realised how much of an idiot he was.

Before she could say so Castle spoke up, "she said she wants you to leave. Get out," Castle said quietly, dangerously his blue eyes burning with suppressed rage. Josh rounded on him again.

"Castle please?" Kate begged, he really wasn't helping, he was only going to make Josh madder.

"Listen writer, this is my girlfriend. You are the one who needs to leave. And I think it's best you find someone else to follow round. Coz you two are done."

"That's it, Josh, get the hell outta my place. _We _are done. You have to leave _right now_."

Josh advanced towards her anger burning in his eyes, his mouth twisted, "I say when we are done. This is all your fault and I will not leave. You are mine and I won't let you fuck around with anyone else."

Kate saw it happen this time because this time she was expecting it. Castle seemingly out of nowhere had Josh by the back of his shirt and was throwing him out of her bedroom. He crashed into the hallway wall, swearing at the top of his lungs. Castle followed him out and Kate was close behind. She watched as Josh launch himself at Castle, knocking him into the wall, saw him punch Castle in the side of his head, and watched as Castle staggered. He recovered quickly and threw the next punch, landing it on Josh's nose. While Josh reeled from the well placed blow, Castle took advantage of Josh's vertigo and seized a hold of his collar. Breathing heavy, ragged breaths Castle used his free hand to throw another punch into Josh's face, then another and another, "Slutting (_punch_) is not (_punch_) a word (_punch_)," he yelled.

Kate threw herself on Castle, trying to stop the beating. That's when she heard the loud banging of a fist on her door. "Yo, Beckett? It's Esposito, Lanie sent me to get that dress?" _Oh thank God! _Castle was pulling himself together and holding an unsteady (yet still swearing) Josh at arm's length still clutching him by the collar.

"Cut it out," Castle swore and shook Josh as one of his flailing limbs connected with the side of his head.

"Beckett? Is everything alright?" Esposito called through the door.

"Not really," she admitted as she reefed the door open, allowing Esposito to take in the scene that was her dishevelled lounge room. She watched him quickly absorb what lay before him and cross the space between the door and the two men still struggling on her floor. As expected he gave Castle the benefit of the doubt, probably because he was the only one of the two not trying to hit the other _anymore anyway, _and roughly pulled Josh to his feet, throwing him onto the couch_. _

"What the hell?" Esposito demanded.

"Thanks man," Castle obliged, "I was just helping Josh here find the door."

"Yeah...right," Esposito turned to Kate, raising his eyebrows, questioning her.

Before she could offer any better version of an explanation Josh found his voice again, "I told you, I'm not going anywhere." Kate sighed.

"Yeah, right," Esposito scoffed again. He lifted Josh easily from the couch and dragged him from the lounge room, out of her apartment and down the hallway. They could hear Josh's struggle and cursing the whole way to the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi readers! Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts etc.! Glad you all seem to be liking my little story so far! Sorry it has taken me so long to add this chapter, it has not gone together quite as I had wanted, oh well. It's a short one but I needed to get it up as it wasn't working for me and I was sick of opening my laptop to see it waiting for me! **

**Thanks for reading, hope you all like it better than I do :)**

Chapter 2

Kate let the door slam behind them and silence enveloped the apartment. She didn't know what to do, what to say so she did nothing, said nothing. The quiet minutes past as Kate slowly felt herself numbing. _Did that really just happen? _It didn't feel real, Josh was not an irrational person, he never raised his voice, never hit anyone, _never called me a slut. _She had known he wouldn't be happy finding Castle in her room but never thought he would react like that. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the hurtful things he had yelled in anger. How could you be with someone for more than a year, yet never know they had such a volatile streak. She thought she had, had a good read on Josh, thought she knew him, despite never actually allowing him to truly know her. They had been good together. He was what she needed, someone just as busy as her, a distraction from time to time, whenever their respective careers had allowed. Someone she could be with yet not have to give herself to wholly, someone who didn't notice the parts of her life she held back from them, hid from them _one foot out the door _she thought to herself.

"Umm, Beckett? Do you have any ice?" Kate almost jumped, she had forgotten about Castle. He sat on the arm of the couch, working his jaw in a painful circle and massaging it with his good hand.

"Oh God, Castle I am so sorry," she wasn't sure if she was apologising for ignoring him or for her crazed boyfriend _ex-boyfriend. _Both she decided.

She crossed the room to stand in front of him, and inspected his injuries. The split in Castle's swollen lip was what she noticed first, a trail of drying blood was smudged down his chin. She could tell his tooth had almost gone straight through the lip and there would be bleeding inside his mouth. Sore, red bruising was already spreading across his jaw and under his left eye which was swelling quickly. Kate moved her hand to gently cup the side of his face, pressing lightly along his jaw to check for broken bones. Castle recoiled, shying away from the pressure.

"Stings a bit," he mumbled apologetically around his fattening lip.

They proceeded to ice his face, with a bag of frozen peas, mostly in silence. Kate instructed him to apply as much pressure as he could handle and when he grumbled under his breath about it hurting she told him to stop being such a baby and that it would be fare worse if he didn't ice it. She warned him to expect bruising and swelling and that it would be painful for a few days.

"Is it gonna look cool?" He asked hopefully, Kate just rolled her eyes.

From where they were sitting quietly Kate heard her phone sound from her bedroom, where she had abandoned it during the skirmish. She tentatively went to see who the message was from, she really wasn't ready for any form of correspondence from Josh. She relaxed, it was just Esposito telling her that he was going to pick up Lanie and bring her around. Kate had forgotten to wonder where Esposito had gotten to and wondered what he had done with Josh, _or to him more to the point. _

She replied a quick 'thanks' to her fellow Detective and returned to Castle in the lounge room.

"Josh?" He asked. She shook her head as she lifted the peas from his face to inspect the swelling.

"Esposito is bringing Lanie around." Castle just nodded.

Silence fell again, Beckett felt slightly awkward this time. Castle must have felt it too because he fidgeted and when he couldn't stand it anymore he finally spoke up. "Beckett? I'm really sorry. I should have listened when you told me to leave…I didn't realise…" he trailed off.

Kate shook her head again and placed the peas back on his cheek, when did he ever listen to her really? "It's not your fault Castle. He had no right to fire up like that."

"I would have."

"Would have what?"

"I would have been mad, if you were my girlfriend I mean. Of course I would trust you, but…"

"But what?" She sounded more defensive than she had meant to, "but what, Castle?" she asked again when he didn't answer.

He sighed, "But you're a lot to lose."

If Beckett had felt uneasy about the silence before it was nothing compared to now, Castle nervously met her gaze and she stared back at him. She was very aware of the hand she had placed on the defrosting peas against his face, very aware of their close proximity and very aware of the hand he slowly moved to rest against hers. A loud knocking on her apartment door brought them both back to the moment, "Esplanie." Castle sighed.

**Again, sorry it was so sort, (like less than half as long as first chapter!) but please, please, please review! I need creative and constructive criticism so I know where I need to improve!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews. Sorry this took me a while to write, I have been working on another Castle Fan Fiction which is a lot of fun but a little distracting! Hope you enjoy this chapter in Castle's POV, please leave a review so I know what you do/don't like and what I am good at/need to improve on!**

**Chapter 3**

Adrenaline coursed through Castle's veins, seriously depriving him of logical, clear thinking thought and reason. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt when his hyperactive mind registered Esposito at the door. He was really enjoying teaching Josh a lesson, putting him in his place. Though the thought did cross his mind that he should probably feel guilty about enjoying beating the crap out of his partner's boyfriend. He managed to maintain a small amount of decency by not smiling at the fact that he likely contributed to the end of Beckett's and Doctor Motorcycle Boy's relationship. Something hard hit the side of his face and he swore. So when Beckett turned her back to them to open the door Castle managed to return one last punch and ensured it was a good one. He remembered being told once to never hit a man with a closed fist, but he had to admit that on occasion it was hilarious.

But now the apartment was quiet and the adrenaline has subsided, leaving in its stead a hollow emptiness, not to mention a sharp pounding in his head and a throbbing hand. He observed Beckett leaning absently against her door. It was obvious to Castle that she was in another headspace, she appeared deep in thought, her eyes taking on a distant look, asking not to be disturbed.

Examining her lounge room he saw the evidence of his and Josh's little…disagreement, and felt the guilt he had denied earlier. Berating himself for getting so carried away, he wondered at his lack of self-control. He was not the fighting type, not physical fighting anyway, words being mightier than swords and all that. Yet Josh had managed to bring out this side of him, this side that caused him to lose it so quickly, that caused him to get so angry he genuinely wanted to hurt Josh, that caused him to ignore all reason and that blurred lines of rationale.

Her lounge was a mess, he had no idea at which point of the fight the lamp table had been upturned, but now it lay on its side with its occupants strewn across the floor around it. Slowly he bent to right the table and returned the lamp and a couple of framed photos to its wooden top. Childishly he bumped the fallen photo of Beckett and Josh under the couch with the toe of his foot, maybe she wouldn't notice. As if punishment for his juvenile behaviour, his head pounded its protest to his moving and his hand continued to throb harshly.

Not yet sure how Beckett was feeling towards him, however deciding they couldn't remain like this all day, he hesitantly broke the heavy silence that had befallen the room, "Umm, Beckett? Do you have any ice?" He watched her thoughts crash back to reality as she jump at being addressed. He waved of her apology, though he wasn't sure whether she was apologising for spacing out on him or for Josh, probably both.

She was suddenly very close, and like it had been these past few months, her close proximity sent his pulse racing. He vaguely thought to himself how this was beginning to be a real problem. Since the undercover kiss they had shared, whenever she got too close, _or just close enough_, he had found himself overwhelmed by her presence. Overwhelmed by the soft aroma of cherries that was Kate Beckett, by the way her hair fell in soft waves, framing her face and by the way the green of her eyes changed depth depending on the light and her mood, threatening to drown him. And here, now, as she gently brushed her soft hand across his hurting face, he was certain he felt sparks emanating from her fingertips, flowing through his skin, warming him, sending his heart beating erratically leaving his mouth dry. He pulled back as though burned before he lost himself in the feel of her skin against his.

"Stings a bit," _lame _he thought, mentally kicking himself.

He would have paid any amount to have the smallest insight into Beckett's thoughts as she silently iced his face with a bag of peas from her freezer. Was she mad with him? Did she blame him for the fight? Was she upset about Josh leaving? He waited for her to yell, cry or shoot him, the suspense was killing him. Just to get a reaction he asked if the bruising was going to look cool. When she rolled her eyes in way of a response, he felt instantly better, _classic Beckett, _he thought to himself, finally content with just sitting quietly.

Castle hoped Beckett didn't notice him cringe when he heard her phone sound from her bedroom. _If that's Josh, _he thought, unable to finish the threat in his own head. He held his breath, waiting for her to return. He found himself selfishly hoping that this would be the end of Beckett and Josh. He knew it was wrong to wish such a thing for his partner, but surely she would see that Josh was no good for her, how much more she deserved. He had never liked Josh, though he admitted he may have ulterior motives that made his judgement of Beckett's boyfriends somewhat bias. But now, now he had good reason to…dislike him. Beckett was smart, he was confident she would not be able to overlook the fact that Josh obviously had a short fuse which, when ignited resulted in an explosive bad temper, surely a mark in the 'con' column. He wondered suddenly if Beckett knew about Josh's temper, if she had seen it before. His fists clenched to think of Beckett being on the receiving end of his rage, and hoped that, like for himself, this fight had been a once off occurrence for Josh.

Beckett returned to the lounge, phone in hand, "Josh?" Castle queried. His shoulders relaxed at the shake of her head.

"Esposito is bringing Lanie around." Castle nodded, relieved. It would be good for Beckett to have her friend with her. And again with the ulterior motive, he knew Lanie was an advocate for the establishment of a more personal relationship between Castle and Beckett. Maybe she would encourage her to forget about Josh.

Castle noticed Beckett shift uncomfortably next to him, and realised he had been sitting in silence with his thoughts for a couple of minutes. He studied her blank expression, her face wasn't giving any clues as to her inner turmoil. Yet again Castle felt the guilt…he had caused her turmoil.

"Beckett? I'm really sorry. I should have listened when you told me to leave…I didn't realise…" he trailed off lamely, frustrated that the words weren't coming, as so often was the case when he was with her.

"It's not your fault Castle. He had no right to fire up like that." She said, placing the cold peas back on his face. She was there again, so close. He stared intently into her eyes, trying to see the moment she would notice his rapid heartbeat, the moment when she would notice his breathing quicken and shallow. He tried to look away as once again he felt himself beginning to get lost in the intense gaze she met his with, but it was too late, he was lost.

"I would have." He heard himself say, _would have what? _He wondered to himself as she echoed his thoughts.

"Would have what?"

"I would have been mad, if you were my girlfriend I mean. Of course I would trust you, but…" _What are you doing? _He thought furiously to himself, _shut up!_

"But what?" Castle heard how defensive she sounded, and knew she hadn't understood his meaning, "but what, Castle?" she asked again, when he remained silent, frantically trying to gather his thoughts and sting some words together in a coherent sentence. But instead…

He sighed, "But you're a lot to lose." And with that, Castle's mind went blank.

Beckett was staring at him, really staring, as though trying to read every corner of his mind, trying to piece together what he really meant and wanted to say. If he thought his heart was beating fast before, it was nothing compared to now, as his hand slowly moved to cover the one of hers she still rested on his face. He felt her pulse quickening too and willed her to feel his. As far as he was concerned, she had never looked so beautiful as she did standing before him there, the way she allowed his hand to stay on hers, the way she looked at him, almost puzzled, the way she leaned into him so slightly, almost without even noticing, no she had never looked more extraordinary. A devastatingly timed knocking on her apartment door brought Castle crashing back to the reality, "Esplanie," he sighed.

**Hope you liked, please review!**


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